YOUTHVILLE ISSUE #138
Friday, July 7, 2017
08078068532
youthville@dailytrust.com
...young at heart
Coping with work and school — Esther
Esther Shielu is the owner of LUK-PHILZ CONCEPT, an event and catering business based in Abuja. The French graduate told YOUTHVILLE how she copes with running a business and schooling at the same time. By Bamas Victoria @BamasVictoria @BamasVictor
W
hat is Luk-Philz Concep Concept all about and wh what was the motivation beh behind it? Luk-Philz Concept is a company w where I am the chairp chairperson and its majo major line of services are event management; m a k e - u p , bak baking and c a t e r i n g ser services, event deco decoration and general cont contracts. The motivation behind establishing this o organization is the love for e n t re p rre n e u r s h i p and d to create a so source for employ employment.
How do you mana manage to strike a balance betwe between your busin business and your studies? I manage to strike a balan balance between business and my thr studies through selfpassio discipline, passion and the love for both. I ensure I have a schedule drawn up and I keep k strictly to time. And I alway ay try to do always several things att the ssame time.
What are the skills needed for one to toe your line of business? Well the skills set needed for one to toe my line of business are self-determination and pragmatism, because clients will test your will power and your logistics have to be perfect. As such you have to be very practical in your planning. What do you think is the place of business such as yours in Nigeria? Catering and event planning has a place in Nigeria as it always provides employment for young persons, especially as part time for those who are in school. For instance, at every event you will need the waiters, cooks, DJs and so on. As such, young persons can be in school and still acquire skills; this means that by the time they graduate they not only have qualifications but skills too. No profession or venture is without its challenges and gains. What are the gains and challenges of being a young entrepreneur? The challenges have always been funds for logistics and also to get updated decorations and equipment. The gains can’t be measured because besides the monetary gains, Luk-Philz Concept has been able to put smiles on the faces on some Nigerian youths through our trainings thereby making them self-reliant as they do not only possess the skills, but get paid for services rendered.
The secret of eternal youth is arrested development. – Alice Roosevelt Longworth
Business partnership: Critical conditions for choosing the right partners By Latifat Opoola @LatifatOpoola
Starting a business partnership can be great, at least for a while but then personality conflicts start and it can be unproductive and quickly turn into a heartbreak, anger, lawsuits and bankruptcy. Sometimes partners don’t get to know themselves well before embarking on the business, and when the business starts, the focus is on the chance to grow a company quickly and profitably. Below are a few points to consider avoiding in a bad business partnership. Trust: This is first on the list for a reason. Bottom line, do you trust this individual with your personal bank account? If the answer is “no,” think twice. As partners, every dollar you spend proportionately affects your personal check book. Friendship: If the person is a good friend, make sure that their goals, values and responsibilities are aligned to yours. Don’t assume just because you get along as friends that they are. Take a look at their personal life and how stable it is. Personal problems are difficult and can easily complicate their professional life. If there is any doubt, don’t do it. Test if you can work together: Select a person you have experience with at work, at a nonprofit or on a project. You should know if they are a team player and how they react in difficult situations. If you have no experience with a potential partner at all, do a trial run for a specified period of time before finalizing the partnership. Partner, employee or consultant: Don’t partner with someone just because you can’t afford to hire them. It is better to hire them as a consultant than to give away a part of your company or to find out later that he/she is not a good partner for you. Varied strengths: Make sure you and your partner’s strengths are in different areas. If you have two people who are good at sales and no one who is good at executing on an operational level, it will be more challenging than you think. It is much better to bring someone in who will compliment your strengths. In order to grow profitably, keep some balance. Balanced responsibilities: Both parties need to agree up front what their responsibilities are in the company and stick to them. If one person keeps trying to take over and do everything or ends up doing very little, then the partnership will start to unravel and feelings of resentment will fester. Money: Money is always one of the major problems in a business partnership. Therefore, agree in the beginning how you will use the funding you raise and how the profits will be distributed. Valuation/contracts: Decide on a formula to determine the value of the company should one partner decide to leave to avoid disagreements. Buy/sell agreements are incredibly useful for discussing all possibilities and how they will be handled before they become a reality. Why is all of this so important? Because a great business can be severely damaged by a bad partnership and never reach its full potential. Starting a business and/or a partnership is an emotional experience. When doing your due diligence, set your emotions aside and make sure everything lines up and has the potential at staying aligned.
World Bank supporting varsities to develop Ecuador-Nigeria young writers’ young talents in science, tech short story contest opens By Chidimma C. Okeke
The World Bank Education Director, Dr Jaime Saavedra Chanduvi, has stated that the organization is breaking new grounds in supporting universities to improve the quality of education and research and the development for young talents in science and technology in Nigeria. Chanduvi stated this when he paid a visit to the African University of Science and Technology (AUST), Abuja to get a brief on the work on the African Centre of Excellence (ACE) and interact with students on their experiences. He said, “We have 10 centres of excellence in Nigeria and they are also providing very high quality education on science and technology to young people in Nigeria and other African countries.” According to him, the students who are on World Bank scholarship and cut across African
countries are having a great opportunity to getting great education in technology and science fields. “At the same time, they have huge responsibilities because the future of Africa would be on their shoulders. The research they are doing now and the ones they will be doing soon in the productive sectors, is not just to build a career for themselves but they are going to be creating job opportunities in the future.” He said in that regard, it is an important investment that will be critical to continue the process of development and creation of jobs in Africa. The ACE centre leader in University of Port Harcourt, Prof Ogbonna Joel, in his presentation said, “the centre has embarked on several researches and collaborated with industries to give students opportunity to be able to solve the problem of oil and gas in the region”.
By Bamas Victoria @BamasVictoria The Embassy of Ecuador in Nigeria in collaboration with Abuja Writers Forum (AWF) has called on young writers below the age of 40 to enter for a short story contest they are sponsoring. According to the spokesperson for AWF, Edith Yassin, “Entries will be accepted from Ecuador and Nigeria. The winners will be published in a bilingual publication (English and Spanish).”
The judges for the entries are Professor Zaynab Alkali and an Ecuadorian writer. Writers are expected to send in an entry of not more than 2500 words to ecuawfstories@yahoo.com on or by the first week of August. Edith noted that “No alterations may be made to an entry once it is submitted.” She also clarified that the entries should be in English for Nigerian writers and Spanish for Ecuadorian writers.
DAILY TRUST, Friday, July 7, 2017
26
YOUTHVILLE
Teenagers might chart the future of Nigeria’s vaccines By Judd-Leonard Okafor @judd_leonard Teenagers are leading an advocacy to influence the federal and state governments to increase the funding that will ensure immunisation services are sustained. Students from four schools in Abuja faced off in a debate to argue whether state and federal governments should co-fund vaccine procurement and immunisation services—and whether federal government should establish an immunisation trust fund. Both issues have been contentious in the light of funding from the Global Vaccine Alliance expected to wind down support in time. The debate is a project by the Youth Advocacy for Sustainable and Equitable Vaccine Access, run by the African Youth Initiative on Population, Health and Development (AfrYPoD). “AfrYPoD does research and evidencebased advocacy to highlight development gaps, propose innovative solutions and develop youth-
centred strategies that promote sustainable development”, said its country representative, Mukhtar Ijaiya. The concern is crucial as Nigeria budgeted N12.6 billion for immunisation chain in 2017—a venture that actually requires N114 billion, according to Dr Ben Anyene, chair of the National Immunisation Financing Task team, seeking to raise innovative sources to finance immunisation in Nigeria. “We have done the numbers, we think the states should co-fund,” he said at the debate he chaired. “The passion and knowledge demonstrated by the students during the debate were quite encouraging and admirable,” said Daniel Ogangwu, on the organising team for the debate. “We are so excited to be helping to raise young advocates for sustainable and equitable vaccine access.” Bill Clinton International College won the first position and Brightway International Academy came second.
PIN unveils connect centre in NSUK By Bamas Victoria @BamasVictoria The Creative Writers Association (CWA) and Poets in Nigeria (PIN) Nasarawa state university, Keffi connect centre was recently unveiled. According to one of the representatives, Aliyu Ismail “PIN and CWA wants to ignite the reading and creative nerves of students by organizing programs that will shape that vision.” He explained that PIN connect centres are meant to facilitate the mission and vision at various locations. Aliyu said PIN was founded in 2015 and have organized different programs that have shaped poetry in Nigeria. He said some of the programs and activities include the mada cultural festival in Akwanga, Nasarawa state, the Nigerian students poetry prize (NSPP) held at Enugu, PIN quarterly journal and PIN poetry anthology. Dr. Mallam, Dr. Albishaq (MON), Professor Idris Amali, Dr Emman Sani Shehu, Dr Agbo Chika, a representative of PIN’s national president Benjamin Torlafia Terhile, and Umar Yogiza, founder, free poetic universe were in attendance at the programme.
Different I shoes for different occasions
By Eseohe Ebhota @EbhotaEseohe t is often said that shoes are the first thing that get noticed when you walk into any place, be it an event or your office. However, deciding on an outfit for an occasion is said to be the most important task. Why? Because it needs a shoe to go with. As women, we h have a passion for b buying shoes. We n never feel bad about shopping and we shop continuously as long as w we can afford it. But when it comes tto buying for shoes for special occasions, it b becomes quite dicey b because you have to select them according tto your outfit and the ttheme of the event. This week, Y YOUTHVILLE tells you about some of tthe different types of sshoes that can be worn tto different occasions iirrespective of the p place: Casual events: W Whether you are going to watch a movie or h hang out with friends, fla flat sandals/shoes are just the right choice. They come in different designs and colours, thereby giving you the casual feminine look. Sneakers can also be worn as they enhance your looks. Evening parties:
MOVIE REVIEW Title: Iyore Cast: Rita Dominic, Paul Obazele, Joseph Benjamin, Yemi Blaq Director: Frank Rajah Arase Reviewer: Eseohe Ebhota @EbhotaEseohe
S
hot in the ancient city of Benin kingdom, Edo state, It tells us about a tragic love story centred on the rich culture of pre-colonial Benin. The movie opens with Osarugwe (Joseph Benjamin) and Eweka (Rita Dominic). Dominic’s character tells the story to her teenage son. With a series of flash backs, the origin of their love is traced to when Osarugwe was a young wife, teaching History at the local high school, and married to another man, Ovie (Yemi Blaq). Eweka becomes the crown prince of the entire Benin kingdom, but is also engaged to another. Both Eweka and Osarugwe were childhood sweethearts and now, Eweka resurfaces and wants to be in Osarugwe’s life again. But custom dictates the opposite and he is expected to marry a princess from a neighbouring Yoruba kingdom. When school teacher
Osarugwe begins to teach her class about the historical tales and conquests of the Benin Empire, she opens up the door to a love story surrounding one of the three sacred virgins of the great kingdom, Amenze (Okawa Shaznay) and Edosa (Desmond Walter). vie Though the movie he takes one down the th memory lane with w regards to how n things were done in n the ancient Benin d Kingdom, it still had e some downsides. The y subtitle was poorly d done; hence it should e be revisited. There were countless errorss in it. For instance, in the scene where Osarugwe asked Ovie why he did not deem it fit to tell her he was travelling, the subtitle read “dim” instead. But on the good side, the costumes were on point. They were striking. And the conversational manners of the
A man is great by deeds, not by birth - Chanakya
Thinking of the right shoe to wear to that grand evening party you have been planning for? Then heels are just the perfect choice for such occasions. Another choice you have is pumps. These are low cut shoes with no straps, they are necessary for every wardrobe. Peep toes are shoes that are open at the toe in a small rounded shape. They are cute and would give you a smart look. Weddings/ engagements: Stiletto heels always come in handy whenever you have a wedding or engagement party to attend. They add grace to any party dress. However if you are dressing in any traditional attire or your native clothing, it’s best is to wear moderately heeled shoes. Try to match the shoe with your dress, not necessary the same colour but you can make a combination with other accessories. Shopping: When shopping, we ladies love to spend a lot of time i.e walking around to ensure we pick the best of what we want. It is unadvisable to wear heels. Your best bet would be ballet flats. These shoes are just the right choice because it feels very comfy no matter how long you are on your feet.
characters were great as their dialogue filled with countless proverbs. As for the sound, the background music and sound track, they were all he characters interpreted their roles excellently.